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Wonders of Life Pavilion/Planning Stages
Even though EPCOT Center opened its doors to the public in 1982 with the first five Future World pavilions open, little did the public know that there was one that was meant to open along with Spaceship Earth and the others; being continually developed behind the scenes for an incredibly long while, it was not until its grand opening date in October 30th 1989 that it was dubbed Wonders of Life after years of development. In this case, plans for a life and health pavilion were not forgotten during the development of EPCOT as the 'world's fair' park we currently know today - in fact, time and time again, concepts regarding to the pavilion's attractions, themes and even its placement were also mentioned. Placement of the Pavilion While the pavilion is usually found at current between the Universe of Energyand the Mission: Space (formerly occupied by Horizons) pavilions, it was during EPCOT Center's early years that the pavilion was to be situated between The Land and The Living Seas (now presented by Finding Nemo) pavilions during their development, to fit into its once-thought-out biological sciences of Future World West. Featured on the sign was to be its signature attraction, The Incredible Journey Within. One theory for its relocation of the Wonders of Life pavilion to Future World East would have been to portray the human body as a complicated mechanical marvel (and less considerably a complimentary premise to Cranium Command) The List of Attractions In comparison to the other EPCOT pavilions, the former-current Wonders of Lifepavilion bears a large variety of attractions rather than just a single one centering the entire pavilion as a whole; in the same vein, there are also a range of attractions planned for the Life and Health pavilion during its conceptual stages. As proof, models of the pavilion during conceptual development date back to the late 70s, and even described just what sort of attractions would have made the pavilion's roster: * The Joy of Living, which would have been a theatrical film presentation, explaining, and showing the beauty, the dignity and strength of man and woman through the ages - from birth and growing up to adulthood and the golden years. * The early incarnation of the Sensory Funhouse, a set of hands-on exhibits encouraging guests to explore and test their senses; this was retained in Wonders of Life in the end, but as an open space exhibit. * A theatrical performance of the Tooth Follies, which would have been themed on dental health. * As part of various minigames, You Bet Your Life, an interactive arcade consisting of a pseudo-casino hall and shooting gallery, with a focus on health habits and their possible effect. This was as part of the Great Midway of Life (an homage to the old time midways on the pier, according to Rolly Crump), which was sadly never realised. * The Head Trip, which would have been the early equivalent of Cranium Command, and somewhat inspired by Star Trek-like premises of the control room. * Good Health Habits, which would have been the non-Disney equivalent of Goofy About Health. * The star attraction, The Incredible Journey Within, which would have been the OmniMover equivalent of Body Wars From Omnimover to Simulator It is also thought out during conceptual design that a lesser known Australian mural artist, Frank Armitage (since joining WED Imagineering since 1977), once contributed with the development of the Life and Health pavilion's former star attraction - an omnimover ride dubbed The Incredible Journey Within. Due to his previous experience developing a classic science film of similar subject matter, Fantastic Voyage (as done by 20th Century Fox), he did various medical and anatomical illustrations depicting close-up cross sections of various organs. The omnimover ride would have taken visitors along the bloodstream through cross sections of the body, and eventually across the valves of a 40 foot human heart. In fact, large models of these were built for the ride, and also for its time, it would have also been a log-flume ride much similar to the Maelstrom ride. Due to the expenses involved with the maintenance of the ride components, it was not long since the success of George Lucas' contribution in the form of the simulator ride Star Tours(at the time, it used the Advanced Technology Leisure Application Simulator), that the technology was adopted, and under development from Industrial Light and Magic (Lucasfilm's visual effects company) that the thrill ride, Body Wars, was finally ready. Consulting Doctor's Advice During development of the pavilion, it was important for Imagineers involved in the project to seek the advice of experts, to assist in every component of the pavilion's attractions and its content. In this case, there was a team of medical professionals and academics from every field possible, including the chief adviser Dr. Charles Lewis (1928-2010), a UCLA professor in preventative medicine and health education. Dr. Lewis worked with Imagineers, while being intent on incorporating positive messages into the attraction, while keeping things entertaining for the guests. (This sparked the Wonders of Life pavilion's successful attempt at 'edutainment'). Relevant to the brainstorm, Dr. Lewis has constructed this mandate: Thou shalt not increase fear or anxiety, send put-down messages to any group related to their “health habits”, or increase the dependency of individuals on others. In this case, the pavilion would not only have to be inspirational (like every EPCOT pavilion), but also motivational enough for guests to get involved, and even take specific action in diverse fields - actions such as physical activity, improving nutrition or health habits, abstaining from drugs or smoking, etc. - once guests have left the pavilion; in this case, Dr. Lewis referred to the mandate to ensure the information is presented without ethical judgements against guests. Opening Day Considering the length of development the pavilion had been through, from the number of changes the attractions as time and teams progressed and changed, through to finalising the location for the pavilion and its overall exterior design, it was a sign of promise that ground was broken for the pavilion in January 29th, 1988. Construction of the pavilion's exterior, as well as its attractions, carried on, and after cast member preview sessions (as well as a test opening) from October 19th, 1989, it was only on October 30th 1989 that the pavilion held its grand opening to the public, making the pavilion the last to take stage in Future World, and even then, the last to receive an ensign. References * Finnie, S. (2006) The Disneylands that Never Were. Lulu.com, p.122-123. * Wheeler, C. (2008) Earning My Ears: EPCOT 1978 - Life and Health Pavilion. online Available at: http://www.earningmyears.com/2008/05/epcot-1978-life-and-health-pavilion.html 11 Mar 2013. * Crawford, M. (2012) Progress City U.S.A - Goofy About Health. online Available at: http://progresscityusa.com/2012/02/24/losing-their-touch/ 12 Mar 2013. * Crawford, M. (2010) Progress City, U.S.A. - EPCOT: Origins – Master Plan 5, 1977.online Available at: http://progresscityusa.com/2010/04/20/epcot-origins-1977-master-plan-5/ 11 Mar 2013. * Crawford, M. (2008) Progress City, U.S.A. - History's Mysteries – Life & Health.online Available at: http://progresscityusa.com/2008/08/27/historys-mysteries-life-health/ 11 Mar 2013. * Armitage Images (2003) About Us. online Available at: http://www.armitageimages.com/aboutus.html 11 Mar 2013. * Strothel, S. (1989) Orlando Sentinel: Epcot Pavilion Lays Out Life's Wonders.online Available at: http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1989-10-29/news/8910293428_1_eisner-wonders-of-life-epcot 11 Mar 2013. * Strothel, S. (1989) New Epcot exhibit (now) healthy Disney's $90 million Wonders of Life pavilion almost died at birth(sample) online Available at: http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/projo/access/596879451.html... 11 Mar 2013 * Reinert, N. (2013) The Cute Story Behind an Imagineer’s Career - The Ink and Paint Blog. online Available at: http://www.inkandpaintblog.com/the-cute-story-behind-an-imagineers-career/ 14 Mar 2013. * LA Times (2010) Passings: Charles Lewis. online Available at http://articles.latimes.com/2010/feb/02/local/la-me-passings2-2010feb02 18 Mar 2013. * UCLA (2006) Department of Health Services - Charles Lewis, M.D., M.S., Sc.D. (retired) online Available at http://www.ph.ucla.edu/hs/lewis.html[Accessed 18 Mar 2013].